The white rose I picked up cried and said she liked me.

Grandpa Xu's residence was located in a junkyard, and the air was filled with a foul stench.

"Cough cough... Xi, that girl? I sent... cough cough... to her father."

An elderly man with a hunchback and a cane sat on a bench, staring at Xu Nian with his cloudy eyes.

This must be Xu Xi's grandfather.

Xu Nian's pupils contracted sharply, and she grabbed the old man.

"Do you know that Xu Xi's father owes a lot of money! The debt collectors are watching him every day, trying to kidnap Xu Xi and sell her?"

"Cough cough... What can we do then?"

Grandpa Xu forced a smile, revealing his mouthful of empty teeth.

"My old bones... cough cough... don't have many days left to live."

"The eldest and third sons had a kid, but they didn't raise him...and dumped him on me..."

"How could I possibly feed...cough cough...so many mouths to feed..."

Following his gaze, Xu Nian saw two thin, pale-faced little boys.

"A little girl...cough cough...keeping her is useless...I'll just return her to where she came from..."

Xu Nian stopped wasting words with him, forced him to reveal Xu Xi's father's address, and then ran away.

The rain was getting heavier, and it was getting dark. There weren't many pedestrians on the road anymore.

I ran through block after block, and turned corner after corner.

She nearly hit several passing vehicles. The drivers stuck their heads out and cursed her for being blind, but Xu Nian just ignored them as if they were passing by.

Half an hour later, he stopped in front of an old residential building.

He seemed to hear something breaking, along with vicious curses.

The rain poured down, raindrops falling on Xu Nian's head, sliding down his hair, and splashing in the puddles at his feet.

As I walked into the stairwell, the sharp voice grew louder and louder, echoing through the dimly lit hallway.

"Run! Keep running? You love to run just like that bitch of a mother of yours? I'll break your legs first!"

"I raised you all these years, you belong to me! I can sell you to whomever I want!"

Immediately following was the sound of something hitting the ground heavily.

"Grandpa, could you help me identify which household this address belongs to?"

Xu Nian stopped an elderly man who was coming downstairs, took out a slightly damp note, and asked him a question.

The old man put on his glasses and held the note very close to his eyes before he could see the address on it.

"Isn't this Xu Lao Er's house on the fourth floor? Listen to the sound of things being smashed, that's his house."

"This Xu Lao Er, his wife ran away, and all he does is drink and smoke opium every day. I heard that his daughter, who ran away with his wife, was sent back a couple of days ago. The whole building has been in an uproar these past two days, apparently he's beating his daughter."

Before the old man could finish speaking, Xu Nian rushed upstairs.

"Xu Xi, you've got too big for your britches! Don't you know who you're from?"

Xu Lao Er, drunk, held up an iron rod and pointed at Xu Xi, who was huddled in the corner.

"You like to run, huh? I'll break your legs first, then see if you'll still run!"

Xu Xi closed her eyes, instinctively covering her head with her hands.

She didn't cry, because she had already run out of tears.

She was too weak to run away or scream. She hadn't eaten anything for days, and her body's energy was completely depleted.

Blood dripped onto the floor, his body was covered in bruises, and scabbed wounds and unhealed wounds were etched into his bloodless skin.

She heard the whistling sound of the iron rod getting closer and closer, and she gave up struggling.

Just then, a loud crash came from the doorway, and the old iron gate collapsed with a bang.

"Who the hell are you?"

Xu Lao Er stopped what he was doing and looked toward the sound with a ferocious expression.

"Xu...Xu Nian, brother?"

Xu Xi struggled to lift her head and softly read the words aloud.

Seeing Xu Xi curled up in the corner, her body covered in wounds, Xu Nian's eyes turned bloodshot.

"You're trying to smash up my door, aren't you? Do you have a death wish...?"

Before Xu Lao Er could finish a complete sentence, Xu Nian rushed in front of him like a cannonball and grabbed his neck tightly.

Xu Lao Er struggled desperately, smashing the iron rod in his hand against Xu Nian Nian again and again, causing Xu Nian to bleed profusely instantly.

Just as Xu Lao Er was about to suffocate, Xu Nian loosened his neck.

"You fucking beast!"

Xu Nian practically roared out those words. He screamed, his face contorted with rage, and used all his strength to punch Xu Lao Er again and again.

How could Xu Lao Er, a good-for-nothing, possibly be a match for Xu Nian, who has been engaged in heavy physical labor for many years?

He quickly became defenseless; the alcohol seeped into his cerebellum, making it impossible for him to even take a step and run away.

He fell to the ground with a thud, and Xu Nian took the opportunity to straddle him, her movements becoming increasingly forceful.

Xu Nian was like a mad lion, desperately tearing at its prey that was already in its mouth.

Before long, Xu Lao Er's skin was torn and bleeding, and he was unable to move.

Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, his eyes were dark and bluish-black, and his body was covered in blood, whether his own or Xu Nian's, he couldn't tell.

A yellow liquid flowed from his crotch, emitting a foul stench.

Xu Nian casually picked up an iron rod from the side and raised it high towards his fat head.

His heart was pounding, his adrenaline was surging, and his last shred of reason was thrown to the back of his mind.

"stop!"

A shout interrupted his action of smashing the iron bar down.

Xu Nian turned around and saw Xu Xi clinging tightly to his legs, with a trail of blood behind them as she crawled up.

Instinct compelled him to kick it away, but a glimmer of reason appeared in his eyes.

Xu Nian realized that if she had hit him, Xu Lao Er might have died.

At that point, he would become a murderer.

This shout exhausted all of Xu Xi's strength; her head tilted to the right, and she fainted.

"Xu Xi!"

Xu Nian threw down the iron bar, quickly picked up Xu Xi, and ran downstairs.

All that remained was Xu Lao Er, whose eyes rolled back and who was foaming at the mouth, lying on the ground convulsing.

......

Outside the emergency room, Xu Nian stared blankly at the ceiling.

A patch of his fluffy hair was shaved off, and the wound on his head was simply bandaged.

Next to him sat the fat policeman.

After receiving Xu Nian's call, the overweight policeman, who had already finished his shift, rushed to the hospital.

The door to the emergency room was pushed open, and Xu Nian immediately went to greet her.

"It's nothing serious. The patient fainted due to low blood sugar. All the wounds have been treated, and he can be discharged after the glucose drip is finished."

The doctor removed his mask, gave some instructions, and then left the emergency room.

"Shall we go out and talk?"

The chubby policeman patted Xu Nian on the shoulder.

Xu Nian nodded and followed the fat policeman outside the building.

"Want one?"

The chubby policeman took out a cigarette, lit it, and then lit one for Xu Nian.

Minors are not allowed to smoke.

"Stop pretending. There are no security cameras here. I saw the cigarette pack in your pocket."

The fat policeman rolled his eyes, and Xu Nian smiled awkwardly, took the cigarette, and lit it.

"This is my dereliction of duty; I didn't properly investigate the situation of her biological father."

Xu Nian exhaled a smoke ring, the nicotine numbing the pain slightly.

"Can we send that beast to jail for a few years?"

The fat policeman nodded, then shook his head.

"You beat him up like that, if he goes to jail, won't he betray you?"

"Even though you're a minor, you still have to go in with us."

"I can make him drop the matter, but you have to let him go too."

"You're still young. It's not worth wasting your life on a jerk like that."

Xu Nian shook her head bitterly, beginning to regret her impulsive decision.